The visible touch – Exploration of site experience – a process discovery

Materiality and process

Continuation of my ‘Mud Falls‘ exploring space and time of the materials (mud, chalk) as well as my own drawing work space. It is a bifold way of mark making through the at times more random ‘runs’ crossing the paper by gravity downwards and my own mark making while drawing and stepping on the paper, been myself inside the space of mark making. In reference to the spatial exploration by Michael Croft (click here) I experienced with my approach an intimate relationship with my support and used materials and re-calling my walking experience on site. By that I build on my walking experiments in a less illustrative way.

Did I think after my first experiments to add imprints of pebbles (as in above works of ‘materiality and surface’) I rejected it now in order to make the work not illustrative again and to keep the focus on materiality and process only

I tried to hang this completely on the wall – noticing too late that it was not completely dry. So I went already ahead with making additional ‘foot marking’ of walking on the lower part of the drawing.

Final image – lower part with a ‘new walking’:

I was especially careful not to use too much ‘mud’ material as in my earlier experiments to ensure that my footprints are clearly visible and leaving visible traces. The fall in mud and chalk as a process that leads into new formations randomly found. My walking on the support while and after the ‘fall’ application refers back to my site experience of walking as explored is in my earlier experiments. The formations do represent a structuring of different streams (mud and chalk) in reference to the formation of pebbles under pressure (here: formation under gravity). Formations also referring to the playful interaction of human being present on a pebbled beach and building pebble structures. The repetition of my ‘walking’ and its effect on ‘destroying some structures’ refers to the the fact of human presence in nature leaving traces and picking up debris or dirt – at times unconsciously.

Overall the fall is the enabler for the last image – this could be presentational as such. But to understand the entire process I would suggest to unfold the drawing (after a complete drying) and hang on a wall (if possible).

Presentation

This process drawing is about walking, physicality of found materials, and my tactile experience on site. My walking on site allowed me to discover with bodily awareness, a closer visual observation and a quite intimate approximation to time passing on site, silent, at times unheard. However, the human presence is visible through the sense of touch: either by visible stones formation or by the traces left behind. In that sense the natural material mud leaves traces behind on the paper.

The work should be presented with the footprints at the top and the running mud and chalk lines going down to the floor. By that presentation it shows more convincingly the impact of human presence on nature and the long trails that follows natural farces (gravity). The lowest part may touch the floor or even curve sightly on the floor. This would create an entry point for the viewer to get in close proximity with the work. For preservation reasons one may hang the work completely on the wall.

The viewer may want to meditate on this drawing with his/her own experience.

Final drawing unfolded on the wall (around 240 x 85 cm):

Stefan513593 – Site Fall

In an overall context the works ‘Materiality & Surface‘ and also the walking imprints as well as the larger scale site experience drawing in horizontal format may co-exist to enable full exploration of the subject.